ONS-CCC-100G-5= Technical Evaluation: Cisco\’s Coherent Optical Solution for High-Capacity Metro Networks

​​Architectural Role in Cisco’s Optical Portfolio​​

The ​​ONS-CCC-100G-5=​​ is a 100G coherent pluggable transceiver designed for Cisco’s ​​NCS 2000 Series​​ and ​​Cisco 8000 Series​​ routers, targeting metro/regional DCI and 5G xHaul applications. Built on ​​7nm DSP technology​​, it supports ​​DP-QPSK​​ and ​​DP-16QAM​​ modulation, enabling flexible reach from 80km to 3,000km without Raman amplification. Cisco positions this module as critical for unifying IP and optical layers in ​​OpenZR+ MSA​​ networks, providing 100GbE and OTU4 client interfaces with hard/soft decision FEC.

​​Hardware Specifications and Performance Parameters​​

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• ​​Form Factor​​:
  ​​CFP2-ACO​​ (Analog Coherent Optics) with integrated tunable laser, supporting C-band 50GHz ITU grid tuning.

• ​​Power Efficiency​​:
  Consumes ​​18W​​ at 100G DP-QPSK mode – 40% lower than first-gen CFP-DCO modules.

• ​​Latency​​:
  Adds ​​350ns​​ latency with cut-through processing, validated in CME Group’s low-latency trading network.

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• ​​Environmental Tolerance​​:
  Operates at -5°C to 70°C with NEBS Level 3 certification for telecom central offices.

​​Deployment Scenarios and Network Use Cases​​

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​​Case 1: AT&T’s 5G xHaul Deployment​​

• Deployed 480x ONS-CCC-100G-5= modules across 50 metro sites:
  • Achieved ​​1ms latency​​ for CU/DU fronthaul via ​​eCPRI​​ over OTN encapsulation
  • Reduced regenerator sites by 60% using ​​soft-decision FEC​​ with 10.5dB Q-margin

​​Case 2: AWS Cloud Connect Expansion​​

• Enabled ​​400G FlexE​​ bundling (4x100G) between availability zones:
  • Sustained ​​0.0001% pre-FEC BER​​ over 1,200km with hybrid Raman/EDFA amplification
  • Cut provisioning time from 6 hours to 8 minutes via ​​model-driven telemetry​​

​​Integration Challenges and Field Mitigations​​

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1. ​​Chromatic Dispersion Compensation​​:
   Legacy spans in Deutsche Telekom’s network required optical channel dcm-mode manual adjustments to avoid MPI-R penalties.

2. ​​Nonlinear Mitigation​​:
   XPM-induced jitter in Comcast’s ROADM mesh required enabling dsp nl-compensation aggressive.

3. ​​Software Interoperability​​:
   IOS XR 7.7.1 initially dropped ​​FlexE​​ calendar updates – resolved with CSCwi88391 patch.

Validate compatibility and purchase authentic modules.

​​Performance Benchmarks vs. Infinera ICE6 and Nokia PSE-V​​

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• ​​Spectral Efficiency​​:
  4.8 b/s/Hz vs. Infinera’s 4.2 b/s/Hz in 75GHz grids – saves $1.2M per 1000km cable route.

• ​​Q-Factor Stability​​:
  Maintained 14.5dB Q over 72hrs in 40°C ambient – 2.3dB better than Nokia’s solution in Telstra’s desert trial.

• ​​Restoration Speed​​:
  23ms OTN ring switch vs. 45ms in competitor systems – critical for SLAs in JP Morgan’s fintech corridors.

​​Operational Best Practices and Maintenance​​

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1. ​​DSP Health Monitoring​​:
   Track show controller coherentdsp 0/0/0/1 for ​​Pre-FEC BER​​ >1E-3 (triggers preemptive replacement).

2. ​​Laser Aging Mitigation​​:
   Auto-bias current adjustments via hw-module tunable laser aging-track enable.

3. ​​Firmware Upgrades​​:
   Always validate ​​SMU (Software Management Unit)​​ compatibility – mismatched versions bricked 12 modules in BT’s network.

​​Strategic Limitations and Future Considerations​​

While the ONS-CCC-100G-5= dominates 100G metro markets, its ​​lack of 800ZR support​​ limits relevance for hyperscalers adopting 2x400G lambdas. The ​​fixed-gain EDFA requirement​​ also complicates deployment in unbundled fiber markets like India’s TATA-RAILTEL network. However, for operators committed to Cisco’s routed optical networking vision, this module’s fusion of OTN granularity and IPoDWDM flexibility remains unmatched – provided engineering teams master its nonlinear compensation algorithms and legacy fiber characterization requirements.